Arestovich on Ukraine's NATO membership: all will change after we win war

  • 2022-09-09
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – It is too early to talk about Ukraine's NATO membership now, but things will change after the nation wins the war, Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to the Ukrainian president's administration, said in Vilnius on Thursday.  

"If we win the war, it's going to be a completely different situation; now the issue of NATO is a little (premature)," he said when asked if he expects Ukraine to be invited to join the Alliance at its planned summit in the Lithuanian capital in June 2023.

"For Russia, it's a big red line (...), but when we win the war, and we are planning to win the war next summer, it seems realistic to me," he added.  

According to Arestovich, NATO needs Ukraine more than Ukraine needs NATO, because the situation with Russia is causing a lot of tension for the Alliance and Ukraine would be a strong eastern flank.

"Just give us the weapons and we will defend you against Russia," he said.  

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has said recently that Ukraine expects to be invited to join NATO at the Alliance's Vilnius summit, adding that he has discussed the issue with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.